In June 2015, we had the pleasure of publishing an article for the autism community that was written by one of its members, Ms. Kathleen Carter. She is challenged with Asperger’s Syndrome and authored the article in this blog entitled Empowering Resources for Persons of ALL Ages with Autism.

Once again, we are pleased to publish here Ms, Carter's latest collection of resources for the autism community. As our readers may know, there is a wide range of ways and levels in which people are affected by autism. Because of this, nearly every autism resource has the potential to significantly impact the quality of life for many on the spectrum.

Many of our readers may have witnessed firsthand the very helpful benefits of service dogs, but did you know that these very special dogs can be profoundly beneficial for autistic persons? Ms. Carter has told us that she herself will soon begin working with an autism service dog, and she wants to spread the good word about the positive impact these animals can have for those on the autism spectrum. In addition to the service-dog links included in her list below, Ms. Carter and we have also included other resources that may help the individuals who need them. We, too, hope our readers who work hard to serve persons on the autism spectrum will find them to be helpful in their good efforts.

Thank you, Ms. Kathleen Carter, for providing this great list of resources!

The Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759): Physical Reading Tools for Challenged Readers
From Brennan Innovators, LLC
Sensory-appealing and customizable reading tools and solutions for challenged readers of all ages. Made in the U.S.A. www.FocusandRead.com/products

Reading Focus CardsDigital Desktop App (Patent 8,360,779)---for Macs & Windows PCs (Price: $5.99)
From Brennan Innovators, LLC
This desktop app for Windows PCs and Macs is the digital version of the physical Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759), solutions for struggling readers. The app provides practical support for children and adults with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other conditions that can affect reading success. It promotes more focused reading of digital media---whether online or offline. The application floats on top AND stays on top of any other underlying application.

We believe that the right tools, strategies and resources can significantly improve one’s reading and learning success, especially when reading and learning can be difficult for someone with ADHD, dyslexia and other issues.

If you or someone you know is challenged with autism, however, the importance of those tools, strategies and resources may be even more important in efforts to improve the quality of life. You may already know about the low-tech and digital Reading Focus Cards, effectivetools that help challenged, unfocused readers with autism and sensory issues. We also provide a free listof reading and learning strategies and accommodations to help persons of any age with autism. The list can be found on this website.

For this article, we wanted to address the third component---resources that can actually help to EMPOWER persons with autism to become more confident, more socially interactive and better able to overcome their obstacles. In our efforts to write this article, we have received the assistance of Ms. Kathleen Carter, a high-school student with Asperger's (autism) and volunteer-intern-extraordinaire at EducatorLabs. She assists the organization with its research and outreach activities.

Ms. Carter has kindly provided the first six empowering resources in our list included here. We want to thank her for these good resources for autism. We have added a few more links to the list and hope that because of our combined efforts, these resources may help you or others you know in the autism community to feel empoweredto become more confident, more comfortable in social situations and more independent in overcoming the challenges of autism---each and every day!

It is October and LD Awareness Month! We're commemorating the month by honoring parents and teachers of children with special learning needs as well as challenged adults. In this blog article, we have decided to provide what many of these individuals often request of us---information and resources for learning disabilities and differences (LD). We believe that the best way to do that is by presenting a GOOD list of online resources and websites in various LD categories. In this way, parents, teachers and adults challenged with specific reading or learning issues will have a go-to page to help give them direction and a place to start for the assistance they need.

We hope you will find the following categorized list of LD websites helpful for you or for someone you care about each day!

Categorized List for LD Websites

AD/HD (ADHD or ADD)
AD/HD is the notation for ADD (no hyperactivity) or ADHD (with the hyperactivity component). Both children and adults can be affected by the condition, and it can occur in varying degrees of severity from one individual to another. There really is no cure for ADHD, but it is very possible to effectively manage the symptoms of the disorder, which may include assistive tools, strategies, coaching and other helpful resources.

1. CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a national non-profit organization working to improve the lives of affected people through education, advocacy and support. From lobbying to local support groups, CHADD is a leader in the field of ADHD.http://www.chadd.org/

2. National Resource Center on AD/HD (Sponsored by CHADD) is the center funded by the CDC. It has much science-based information about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.http://www.help4adhd.org

3. ADD Resources is another non-profit serving the ADHD community. It has an extensive directory of workshops, conferences, publications, and articles for parents, teachers, adults, and medical professionals. The organization supports itself through memberships. (A fee may be charged to access some content.)http://addresources.org/

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a condition that exists when sensory signals do not get organized into appropriate responses. The condition prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving information needed to interpret sensory input correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively (from STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder).

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)
The most recent data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control, 2012) indicates that in the U.S., about 1 in 88 children have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than girls – with 1 in 54 boys identified.